Former Green co-leader says party is at 'crossroads'

Former Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has said the party is at a "crossroads" and needs to focus on its "core values", the BBC reported.

Mr Ramsay made the remarks in an interview with BBC Newscast. They came weeks after members of the Green Party of England and Wales adopted a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism. The motion was passed in October.

The motion defined Zionism as an ideology supporting "an ethnonationalist Jewish state" that had led to the disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians. It also backed the creation of a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine, which includes modern-day Israel.

Asked whether he thought Zionism is racist, Mr Ramsay replied "no, it's not". He said he believes Israel has a right to exist and that he is deeply uncomfortable with the motion the party adopted. He has also said the motion does not reflect long-standing Green principles.

In the interview, Mr Ramsay said the Greens need policies that appeal to a majority of British voters if they are to bring about the environmental changes they want. He warned against a divisive, internally focused approach.

Mr Ramsay is the Member of Parliament (MP, an elected member of the House of Commons) for Waveney Valley. Four of the party's five MPs opposed the motion. He said he has "no intention of leaving the Green Party" after the conference passed the motion.

Mr Ramsay co-led the party from 2021 to 2025 alongside Carla Denyer. In the 2025 leadership contest he stood on a joint ticket with Ellie Chowns, and lost to Zack Polanski.

Green Party leader Mr Polanski responded that there is "no environmental justice without social, racial and economic justice".